For more than a century and up until just a few years ago, a permanent colostomy was considered to be de rigueur in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
In this procedure, the diseased section of the colon is removed (a colectomy), and the functioning
Why have a hysterectomy?
Hysterectomy, in which a woman’s womb is removed, is one of the most common surgical operations in the West.
CHILD SPACING: Too soon can be too dangerous
The number of women giving birth over the age of 35 is steadily increasing. According to one estimate, by the year 2000, 40 per cent of births in the UK will be to women of 30 or over ( J Langford ...
Q-I have been advised by all the dentists I have consulted, even a 'holistic' one, to remove all my wisdom teeth, although they have not given me problems (only a couple of fillings), but are slig ...
One of the things conventional medicine prides itself on is its diagnoses. But much of the credit goes not to doctors, but to the technologists who have created increasingly sophisticated ways of peering into the human body.
One of the most common bread-and-butter treatments within the surgical profession is the hernia operation. Some 20 million groin hernia repairs are performed each year - 100,000 in the UK
What is circumcision?
Circumcision is the removal of the loose fold of skin, the prepuce or foreskin, at the head of the penis. Many cultures remove the foreskin for religious reasons, but at least 10 per cent
The conventional wisdom among ophthalmologists tells us that, if you live long enough, you will get cataracts. Eye doctors believe that this clouding of the lens is an inevitable part of ageing, and that surgical removal of the lens is the only...
What Doctors Don't Tell You